Gas can with tear tab closure for, and movable discharge guide associated with, its dispensing opening



M, WW7 D. DOMBRO ETAL 3,3Wfi441- GAS CAN WITH TEAR TAB CLOSURE FOR, AND MOVABLE DISCHARGE GUIDE ASSOCIATED WITH, ITS DISPENSING OPENING Filed April 5, 1965 JNVENTORS. DI CK DOMBRO ROBERT L. i-HM JR LORRAIN E P. HOGAN United States Patent This invention relates to containers, and more particularly to a disposable gasoline container for pouring gasoline into a vehicle tank in an emergency.

It is therefore the main purpose of this invention to provide a container which will be capable of storing gasoline as Well as most petroleum products. Since gasoline has been forbidden to be sold in many States in open cans, glass jars, plastic containers etc., people have little or few places to obtain gasoline for home use and emergency use for automobiles. Most States forbid the personnel of gasoline stations from tfilling reusable cans and thus this invention is of such construction so as to eiiiciently and easily remove the previously pre-filled and sealed in, contents thereof, after which the container may be disposed of.

Another object of this invention is to provide an emergency gasoline can which may be pre-filled with gasoline or other petroleum products and said liquid product which may be thereafter sealed in said container can for purposes of safety in subsequent storage and handling, the design of said gasoline can having an opening normally sealed by a hand operated opener of the pull-tab type, preferably located on the top side of the can and being of such a nature that no separate mechanical openers of any type will be required to open said container, the overall container assembly also having a funnel member which is fixed to said container in a manner whereby said funnel will normally lie in a flat position against a wall of the container, parallel thereto, said funnel member being of any semi-soft pliable material such as plastic, tin, aluminum foil or the like which will permit ready movement by a hand operation into a position of operative associa tion with the hand operated pull-tab opener to assist and direct pouring of the liquid product from the container and will require no mechanical openers of any type to open it and will have a funnel member lying fiat against the can.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an emergency gasoline can that will have the funnel member disposed in such a manner so as to allow easy and compact packing of the cans against each other in a carton etc. and the funnel member may be easily brought up from the side of the can, snapped at the corners and molded into a suitable funnel by ordinary hand pressure for pouring purposes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accom panying drawing wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view comprising the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal view of the pouring spout shown in section and removed from FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view showing a modified form of the invention in which the container can is round.

of the gasoline can FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of FIGURE 3.

According to the emergency gasoline container can 10, subject of this invention, after it is filled with gasoline the top 11 is pressure sealed to provide safe storage of the gasoline or other petroleum products. Top 11 is provided with a pull-tab 12 of conventional construction allowing can 10 to be easily opened to pour the contents therefrom. A somewhat flat concave grooved funnel member 13 is made of a suitable pliable material such as plastic, tin, or other suitable material and has a concave grooved tapered end 14 which is shaped in a manner which will guide and direct the flow of the fluid from can 10 into the conventional neck of the gasoline tank of an internal combustion engine. The concave funnel shaped member 13 lies substantially vertically flat against, and parallel to, one side of the gasoline container 10, to which it is fixed, when not being in use to assist in guiding the outpouring fluid from container 10, with the concave trough-like surface thereof facing outwardly, as shown. The corners 15 thereby facilitate bending funnel member 13 upward and away from container 10 to direct and guide the flow of the fluid as it is poured from container 10, as shown. After hand operated pull tab 12 is removed from top 11, the pouring operation from the can, utilizing the flexible funnel 13 may be performed. It will of course be realized that can 10 is disposable after the contents have been poured from it.

Looking now at FIGURES 3 and 4, one will see that a can 10 is shown to include the characteristics as mentioned heretofore of the main embodiment of this invention, the top 11 having a pull-tab 12 which will open can 10 as heretofore described in the main embodiment. The funnel member 13 is secured to the upper extremity of can 10 and is provided with a tapered end 14 so as to direct the fluid from can 10' when pouring it. It shall be observed more particularly in FIGURE 4 of the drawing that the funnel member 13 is arcuately curved to lay against the outer periphery of can '10 in order to provide compact storage for a plurality of cans 10. Funnel 13 is raised by hand and the outside edges are brought forward to form a channel in member 13 in order to direct the fluid and the ends 15 are free of the upper extremity of can 10 allowing them to be easily bent outward to form the channel.

In the flat top end 11 of the rectangular shaped can 10, shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawing, a tear-out area 16 is formed by a score line 17 which defines the discharge opening of the rectangular container can 10. In FIG- URE 4, which illustrates the application of this invention to an annular shaped can, a similar tear-out area 16 is formed by score line 17.

What we claim is:

1. An emergency gasoline or liquid petroleum product container comprising a pressure sealed container of any suitable material having a fiat top closing one end thereof, a discharge opening in said flat top, a pull tab particularly adapted to cover and close said discharge opening forming a part of said flat top; said tearable pull tab portion being separable by tearing from said flat top in a manner to uncover and open said discharge opening to permit pouring of the gasoline or liquid petroleum product from the container through said discharge opening, a separate trough-like funnel element flexibly fixed at one of its ends to the upper outer edge of the flat top container closure; said trough-like funnel element arranged parallel to one vertical side of the container and normally in close proximity to said vertical side; said funnel element adapted to be flexed outwardly away from the side of the container along the upper outer edge at which it is flexibly fixed to the flat top closure to a position of projection in operative alignment with the discharge opening in the container.

2. An emergency gasoline and liquid petroleum product container as set forth in claim 1 wherein the container is annular in form and the trough-like funnel element is arcuate in shape to conform to the annular outer shape of the container.

3. An emergency gasoline and liquid petroleum product container as described in claim 1, wherein the trough-like funnel element is semi-triangular in shape and has the broadest width of the triangle flexibly fixed to the upper outer edge of the flat top closure.

4. An emergency gasoline and liquid petroleum product container as described in claim 2, wherein the troughlike funnel element is semi-triangular in shape and has the broadest width of the triangle flexibly fixed to the upper outer edge of the fiat top closure.

5. An emergency gasoline and liquid petroleum container which is pressure sealed and of any suitable material having a sheet metal pull tab particularly adaptable for attachment to one flat end of such a can type container; said pull tab adapted to serve as a sealed closure and adapted to be torn away to create an aperture out of which the liquid in the container may be poured and a trough-like funnel member flexibly attached to the outer upper edge of the flat end of the can type container and arranged in vertical juxtaposition parallel to the outer vertical wall of said can; said funnel member being adapted to being flexibly bent away from the can wall by a hand operation into a position relative to aforesaid aperture, created by the tearing action of the pull-tab, to direct the outpouring liquid into a receptacle.

6. An emergency gasoline and liquid petroleum container, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the upper outer corners of the trough-like funnel member are cut away at their point of attachment to the can type contained to facilitate flexing and positioning of the funnel member into the desired pouring position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 195,604 7/1963 Fraze 58-26 1,026,828 5/1912 Pierce 222530 X 1,596,638 8/1926 Turpel, et al 222541 1,901,742 3/1933 Fitzhugh 222529 X 2,353,521 7/1944 Steffens 222530 2,575,040 11/1951 Batzler 222529 3,059,808 10/1962 Clair 220-54 3,146,914 9/1964 Eckley 222530 3,215,306 11/1965 Simpson, et al. 220-54 3,225,957 12/1965 Huth 22054 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN EMERGENCY GASOLINE OR LIQUID PETROLEUM PRODUCT CONTAINER COMPRISING A PRESSURE SEALED CONTAINER OF ANY SUITABLE MATERIAL HAVING A FLAT TOP CLOSING ONE END THEREOF, A DISCHARGE OPENING IN SAID FLATE TOP, A PULL TAB PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO COVER AND CLOSE SAID DISCHARGE OPENING FORMING A PART OF SAID FLAT TOP; SAID TEARABLE PULL TAB PORTION BEING SEPARABLE BY TEARING FROM SAID FLAT TOP IN A MANNER TO UNCOVER AND OPEN SAID DISCHARGE OPENING TO PERMIT POURING OF THE GASOLINE OR LIQUID PETROLEUM PRODUCT FROM THE CONTAINER THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING, A SEPARATE TROUGH-LIKE FUNNEL ELEMENT FLEXIBLY FIXED AT ONE OF ITS ENDS TO THE UPPER OUTER EDGE OF THE FLAT TOP CONTAINER CLOSURE; SAID TROUGH-LIKE FUNNEL ELEMENT ARRANGED PARALLEL TO ONE VERTICAL SIDE OF THE CONTAINER AND NORMALLY IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID VERTICAL SIDE; SAID FUNNEL ELEMENT ADAPTED TO BE FLEXED OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM THE SIDE OF THE CONTAINER ALONG THE UPPER OUTER EDGE AT WHICH IT IS FLEXIBLY FIXED TO THE FLAT TOP CLOSURE TO A POSITION OF PROJECTION IN OPERATIVE ALIGNMENT WITH THE DISCHARGE OPENING IN THE CONTAINER. 